As we all know, healthy eating plays a vital role in a child’s overall growth and development. Snacks help to prevent hunger in between meals as well as provide daily requirements for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Therefore, choosing healthy and nutritious snacks is equally important and plays a vital role in a child’s oral health and overall growth and development. In this article, we will be sharing practical healthy snacking tips as well as a variety of snack choices for your kids
Snacking tips for kids
Set a schedule
You have to maintain a routine on your kid’s meals, make sure snack time ends about 2 to 3 hours before the big meals. When kids are quite hungry at mealtime, they’re often more willing to eat a nutritional meal.
It isn’t uncommon for children to ask for a snack when they’re bored, stressed, or maybe just thirsty. However, you can remind your child that food will be available at the coming meal or snack time If you follow your routine. (children do well on a schedule if you stick to it!) It’s OK to explain that there are certain times of day for eating a cheat meal.
Sources of protein
- Dairy (yogurt, cheese, milk, cottage cheese)
- Eggs ( cooked any way they like)
- Animal protein (Easiest source of protein like Chicken & turkey slides)
Sources of fiber
- Vegetables ( baby carrots, cucumbers, sliced bell peppers, tomatoes)
- Fruit (apple, grapes, banana)
- The best is to go for Whole grains (wheat bread, oats whole-grain cereal)
Sources of protein and fiber
- Nuts, seeds, or peanut butter
- Hummus or bean dip, crisp chickpeas
Try different snack ideas
- Tomato and avocado slices on a piece of whole-grain bread
- Natural fatless jerky stick
- Prepare for unplanned snacks.
Snacks to stay away from:
In addition to snacks and drinks with refined sugars, crunchy and sticky snacks are bad for your child’s teeth. This is because they stick to the grooves, thereby providing caries causing bacteria food and nutrients to thrive. Some examples of crunchy and sticky snacks that could be harmful to your child’s teeth are:
- Chips
- Gummies and sticky or crunchy chocolates/sweets
- Pretzels
- Dried fruits
Sip All Day, Get Decay
Always remember, it’s the frequency that does the most damage. Whether your child is drinking healthy juice, milk, or just soda, drinking all day or frequently will offset the PH of the oral environment, making it more acidic (which is a great environment for caries causing bacteria to thrive and cause damage), If they drink anything that contains sugar, have them drink it during mealtimes or all at once.
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